Pages

Saturday, 14 March 2015

DO WE WANT TO BURN CHILTERN/MT PILOT NATIONAL PARK?

I was horrified to see this notice last week at Cyanide Dam (or Honeyeater Picnic Area if you prefer) in the Chiltern/Mt Pilot National Park.Apparently someone thinks it is a good idea to burn this beautiful bush for 'both fuel management and ecological reasons.' I don't!I understand that there is pressure on the Department of Environment and Primary Industries to burn a certain area of Victoria each year to meet 'fuel reduction' targets. I do hope that the Chiltern/Mt Pilot National Park (or any other national park or, indeed, any patch of Crown land) is not being burnt simply to meet some academic target. I see no reason to burn this land. I see no benefit at all. I can certainly imagine many creatures being terrified, injured and killed. For what gain? So that this bit of bush that's been burnt now, won't be burnt next summer?I wonder if they'd dare to put a match to it, if there were Regent Honeyeaters or Turquoise Parrots nesting there at the moment? Perhaps they wouldn't care.I wonder if all the bureaucrats are in agreement on this, or if there is more than one opinion within the Department. I wonder if the people proposing to burn this National Park love this countryside as I do, or if they regard it as inferior bush 'not as good as rainforest' as one bureaucrat said to me once.I wonder if all the politicians agree that this is a good idea.I'm sorry that I cannot do something to stop this desecration.